I consulted my colleagues. Most of them only regard “Customer’s complaints on product quality” as “customer complaint”.
I think “customer complaint” includes more. I think the nonconformities that customers find when they audit, their suggestions, and their complaints on product issues, all should be included in “customer complaint”.
What about the internal customers, such as headquarter? If the headquarter gives a CAR, should it be considered as a “customer complaint”?
What about the registration institutes? If UL audits us and gives us a CAR, should this CAR be included in “customer complaint”?
Complaint indices should recognize the degree of dissatisfaction as viewed by the customer. A complaint does not mean a rejection. Often, the customer wants to continue doing business with you but want you to improve.
Based on the Ishikawa's TQC Philosophy, the next process is customer.
Good article to share on the 8 facts about customer behavior and complaints.
How about if a customer complaint contains anything the customer is unhappy about with the product or service?
Waddya think?
Were that it was that simplistic. There are also 'invalid' customer complaints. Not addressing this aspect will have a company chasing ghosts... Just because a customer complains doesn't mean it is a valid complaint.
What one defines as a customer complaint is very specific to the product and/or service. Consideration must be given to the reality of whether a valid customer complaint is valid. Lawsuits are filed over what a person feels is a valid complaint and the company believes otherwise.
I suggest you look at these existing discussion threads for some thoughts on customer complaints: Customer Complaint.
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We defined customer complaints as any negative remark/ reaction from the customer about our product/ service/ performance is a customer complaint. Whether the customer indicates items as an official complaint or as "just" a negative remark; we handle them the same way.
We use this system for several years now (since 2001), and the results are quite good. Our customers are possitive about this attitude and the complaints numbers decreased considerably.
Of course there are non-vallid complaints, but we also handle with the same procedure. If during the investigation we see that the remark or complaint was not due to our performance we inform the customer about these findings.
Furthermore we count the number of non-vallid complaints and in case a customer would have a relative high number of these non-vallid complaints; for us this is an indication that there might be something going on, the customer has a negative feeling about our performance. We then discuss this with our customer and try to solve these problems together.
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Re: What should “Customer Complaints” include?
Complaints made by a customer is always valid for that customer. Whether or not the complaint can be acted upon or corrected is the challenge faced by the organization.
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Theoretically that is true, Randy, but we all know that in reality customers often have unrealistic expectations and thus complain about something that cannot be addressed. My point is to make sure the organization takes that into consideration. I have gone through many implementations where, when we got to customer complaints and I said sonething like 'Every customer complaint must be logged, evaluated and acted upon', the people went nuts thinking that they would have to do a corrective action or such for every complaint including ones like "I know the warranty was only 1 year, but it broke down in 2 years and I expected my <whatever> to last longer than 2 years".
I had one client whose service manager went nuts. As he said, I get complaints when we don't have a part for a machine we stopped making 10 years ago. We stop making repair parts for discontinued models after 8 years, and when stock runs out that's it - No more parts. So now I have to keep repair parts in stock for every maching we make for 20 years? For 40 years?
Does the customer have a valid complaint? I'm sure in their mind they do. The customer believes the manufacturer should carry repair parts as long as any customer has one of their products no matter how old the product is, But what company is going to keep replacement / repair parts in stock theoretically forever?
Just trying to make a point, Randy. Sometimes customers have complaints which admittedly they believe are valid. That doesn't mean the complaint is valid in the eyes of the company and that the company has to do a corrective action no matter what, for example.
Your reply in post 6 clarifies your original post (Post 2 in this thread).
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What should “Customer Complaints” include?
Re: What should “customer complaints” include?
Re: What should “customer complaints” include?
Invalid Customer Complaints
to come to your facility, audit and give certificate. 
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